The team, which is made up of students at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia – BarcelonaTech (UPC), convened its sponsors at Parc del Fòrum to present the innovations it is developing for the coming season
Formula Student is the world's largest university motoring event, where engineering students from all over the world come together to design, build and compete in a Formula 1-style car
This past Wednesday, Parc del Fòrum hosted a meeting of BCN eMotorsport, one of the UPC's student teams that will be competing at Formula Student, the premier university motoring event.
During the event, the BCN eMotorsport team, composed of students from the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB) and the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB), announced the latest innovations in their self-driving electric vehicle, which they will be using to compete in the next season of the Formula Student competition. The vehicle entered in last season's competition was also showcased at the event.
Parc del Fòrum is precisely where students test their cars in preparation for each competition. All this is made possible by the collaboration agreement concluded between BSM and BCN eMotorsport, which supports BSM's dedication to sustainable mobility as well as its commitment to young talent and the promotion of scientific careers.
The event featured Albert del Río, BCN eMotorsport's team leader; Francesc Rey, deputy director of Business Relations at ETSETB; Vicente de Medina, general manager of the Formula Student BCN eMotorsport project; and Xavier Castellsagué, head of Endolla Barcelona, who attended on behalf of BSM. Some of the team's sponsors, including Cupra, NTT Data, Fractus and Draxton, were also there.
Formula Student, the premier university motoring event
Established in 1981, Formula Student is the world's most prestigious engineering competition. To take part, engineering students from across the globe design and build a Formula 1-style car, which they then use to compete in various races.
Eight Catalan teams, most of them from the UPC, are competing in Formula Student. The competition currently features two categories: combustion and electric vehicles, which can be driven or driverless in both cases.
Competitors must take part in static (Engineering Design, Cost & Manufacturing and Business Plan) and dynamic (Acceleration, Skidpad, Autocross, Trackdrive, Endurance and Efficiency) disciplines. The team with the highest overall score is the winner.
BSM has collaboration agreements in place with both BCN eMotorsport and e-Tech Racing, the other UPC team taking part in Student Formula.
BCN eMotorsport was the first Spanish team to design and build an electric single-seater
In 2007, a group of 13 students from the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB) formed Spain's first Formula Student team, ETSEIB Motorsport. The team started its journey with CAT01, an internal combustion engine car. Over the years, they increased their knowledge and achieved significant success in university, national and international events.
In a constant effort to embrace technological advances and lead the way, the team made the leap to electric vehicles in 2012. They were the first Spanish team to design and build an electric single-seater, CAT05e. The Driverless UPC team, the first in Spain to make a self-driving vehicle for Formula Student, was founded in 2018.
The 2020-2021 season was a crucial time in the team's history. The leading German competition announced that, from 2022, teams would have to design just one single-seater capable of taking part in both the manual and self-driving categories of the competition. In response to this, ETSEIB Motorsport and Driverless UPC merged to form a new team, which they named BCN eMotorsport.
Following two successful seasons with its first merged cars (CAT14x and CAT15x), the team designed and built the CAT16x model. In addition to earning very high scores in Formula Student Spain, it reached a historic milestone for the team by winning the self-driving category of the event. CAT17x, which features both mechanical and electrical innovations, is currently under construction, keeping the team on its current path of excellence.
Last season, BCN eMotorsport took part in three of Europe's most prestigious competitions: Formula Student Austria, at the renowned Red Bull Ring; Formula Student Spain, at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit; and Formula Student Germany, at the Hockenheimring circuit.
